May the best man win

THE Trinidad and Tobago Cricket Board (TTCB) will have a new president following today’s elections at the National Cricket Centre, Balmain, Couva.

The scene is set like a boxing match, with Ellis Lewis, current first vice-president and human resource manager of the Tobago Regional Health Association in one corner, and who has been the deputy to the entrenched Alloy Lequay for almost ten years. Lewis is seen as the best man for the job — using the wedding terminology, since he is always at Lequay’s side, in his own quiet manner. On the opposite side of the ring is Deryck Murray, former West Indies wicketkeeper, vice-captain, manager and the first head of the West Indies Players’ Association (WIPA) in 1973. Murray is considered as the best man to succeed Lequay, but his credentials and expertise have been scrutinised and criticised by many in and out of the board.

A lot has been written and discussed about both candidates but a lot has been left out by a number of prominent journalists. As head of the TTCB for a quarter of a century, Lequay, a former Senator and chairman of the National Alliance of Reconstruction (NAR), faced stiff opposition to his throne on one previous occasion, by radio announcer/sports promoter Anthony Harford in October 1999. And, writing in the TTCB’s fixtures list for 1999, Lequay let his rivals know once and for all how he will deal with any challenge to his kingdom. “I can claim with justification and pride but with due modesty that, from 1969, when I became your second vice-president, I led the struggle for the independence of cricket in Trinidad and Tobago,” said the former head of the local table tennis association. Prophetically, he added: “The forces of the 60s and 70s (referring to the Queen’s Park Cricket Club’s control over local cricket) had social and political power but they lacked national acceptance. The commission agents and back door entrants of today are armed only with personal ambitions.”

Focusing his attention on the still-incomplete Sir Frank Worrell Development Centre, he continued: “The battle lines are now drawn as we proceed from tomorrow with our mission, consolidating our gains, expanding our horizons and getting ready to provide Trinidad and Tobago with a National Cricket Centre on the canefield of Caroni.” Now, on a personal note, it does not matter much to me who wins today as West Indies cricket is still the premier focus of both players and administrators. But, as an individual under the age of 25, I have a serious problem with Lequay’s repeated statement that one must prove themselves from scratch, face decades of trials and tribulations, in order to serve as TTCB president.

This is an egotistical stance — here are examples:
Pat Rousseau replaced the late Franz Botek as a member of the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) marketing committee in 1993. Three years later he was elected unopposed as WICB president. Did he work his way from the bottom up over a lengthy period of time? Wes Hall was not even a member of the WICB before he replaced Rousseau in the hot seat in 2001 while his successor Teddy Griffith joined the Board in 1992, and has been in the background for his 11 years with the regional cricketing body. Finally, Lequay has also been quoted as stating  that Murray has been away from Trinidad and Tobago for a number of years and, out of the blue, is desirous of taking the hot seat of local cricket. The odds are stacked heavily in favour of Lewis but may the best man win.